Following the province’s announcement Tuesday afternoon regarding the potential end of COVID-19 restrictions in Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Roughriders released a statement stating that Mosaic Stadium will be able to open without capacity restrictions.
This would be achieved by reaching step three of the province’s Roadmap to Reopening, which would commence three weeks after 70 percent of Saskatchewan residents 12 years and older receive their first dose of COVID vaccine.
Riders President and CEO Craig Reynolds joined 620 CKRM’s the Sportscage with Derek Taylor on Tuesday afternoon. He says the relaxation of gathering limits and capacity restrictions allows the Riders to safely plan for fans to return to Mosaic Stadium.
“We continue to monitor the vaccination rate because that’s what drives this,” Reynolds said. “Phase three requires 70 percent first dose among 12 and above, so we’ll continue to monitor that, but it’s tremendous news.”
The Riders acknowledged in a statement Tuesday that Mosaic Stadium has not been full since the Western Final in 2019, and that work behind the scenes has been underway to welcome fans back.
Reynolds says it’s important to remember that while restrictions are easing, COVID-19 still isn’t going away.
“We just have to be really cautious — as it relates to the team — that we’re keeping our players safe, healthy, and COVID-free,” Reynolds said. “Although there will be limited-to-no restrictions in the province, we really need to remember as a football team that we need to be careful, we need to be safe, and we need to keep our players safe.”
Reynolds concluded by encouraging fans to get vaccinated to help reach the step three threshold, adding he wants to avoid situations that took place in the U.S. where teams dealt with COVID-19 outbreaks within their organization.